A substantial percentage of special service calls, such as credit card, collect and charge-to-a-third number, require the services of an operator for their completion. The actual amount of such operator service has, in the lase decade, been greatly reduced by the widespread commerical use of communication customer service systems, such as TSPS (Traffic Service Position System) equipment. It has improved call processing efficiency and the reductions in manual functions have resulted in savings in the number of required operators. R. J. Jaeger, Jr. A. E. Joel, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 3,484,560 of Dec. 16, 1969 and the December 1970 Bell System Technical Journal, 49, BSTJ No. 10, page 2417 et seq. disclose the structure and operations of TSPS equipment on calls requiring operator assistance.
The telephone industry has long recognized that the volume of calls requiring operator assistance will increase in the future to the extent that there is a probability that enough operators will not be available to serve those calls at reasonable costs to customers. As a consequence, the industry has continually maintained projects to provide more automated procedures and equipments to reduce the need for operator assistance. One such project has resulted in the development of automated coin toll service as an adjunct to a TSPS system. Automated coin toll service facilities are disclosed, for example, in R. M. Dudonis U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,324 of June 21, 1977 and N. R. Shaer U.S. Pat. No. 3,453,389 of July 1, 1969.
Despite the forecast increased demand for operators and the progress in automating certain types of special service calls, it has heretofore been a persistent problem to process calls, such as credit card, collect and charge-to-a-third number calls, without operator intervention.
Another significant problem for telephone companies has been that many such special service calls are fraudulently placed by callers as collect or charge-to-a-third number calls billed to coin telephone stations and as credit calls using improper credit card and third numbers or unauthorized use of valid credit card and third numbers. Present day telephone systems and call processing procedures are not equipped adequately to detect such fraud. Recent estimates are that annualized telephone company revenue losses due to suspected fraud on special service calls exceed several million dollars. Although credit card fraud appears to be decreasing, fraudulent charges to third numbers and other fraud, such as on collect calls, are increasing.
A need therefore has heretofore existed for facilities which virtually eliminate the requirement for operator assistance on such special service calls particularly for charging and billing. A specific need has existed for facilities to reduce fraudulent completion, as well as charging and billing on credit card, collect and third number calls.